Sir Walter Scott called revenge "the sweetest morsel to the mouth that was ever cooked in hell." We are often counseled to rise above slights, grievances, and injuries, but still, the temptation and promise of revenge remain. This thematic collection gathers texts that investigate what prompts us to hunger for revenge and where this hunger leads us.
Publication year 1981
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags WWII / World War II, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African American Literature
A Soldier’s Play (1981) was written by Charles Fuller. It premiered off-Broadway with the Negro Ensemble Company in 1981, and was arguably the company’s most successful work to date. It ran for nearly 500 performances and earned the Critics Circle Best Play Award and the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The play is loosely based on Herman Melville’s Billy Budd (1924), an unfinished novella about a well-liked, handsome sailor who is falsely accused of a... Read A Soldier's Play Summary
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Education, Relationships, Technology, Crime / Legal, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1887
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet (1887) is a detective novel about a mysterious murder in a vacant house, one man’s lifelong hunt for justice, and the powers of deduction and reason. It marks the introduction of the famed detective character Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick John Watson, along with several other characters and locations that would become important to the 56 short stories and three other novels about Holmes that followed. The... Read A Study in Scarlet Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Fantasy
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
A Thousand Acres is a historical fiction novel by the American author Jane Smiley. Taking place on an Iowa farm in the 1970s, the novel is a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. Shakespeare’s play focuses on King Lear as he determines which of his three daughters will inherit his kingdom depending on how much they flatter him. Smiley’s novel reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy on an Iowa farm in the 1970s as Larry Cook... Read A Thousand Acres Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mythology, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Asian Literature, Japanese Literature
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Psychological Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The 2016 suspense novel Behind Closed Doors, by B.A. Paris, is a story about a perfect-looking marriage that is anything but what it appears to be on the surface. The novel is narrated in both the present and past tenses by the protagonist, Grace Angel. These tenses are reflected in alternating “Present” and “Past” chapters. In this way, Paris builds backstory and current action into storylines that build in parallel and meet at the end... Read Behind Closed Doors Summary
Publication year 1880
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Christian literature, History: World, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality
One of the most influential Christian novels of the 19th century, Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a classic historical fiction story of redemption and forgiveness, reimagining the stories of peripheral biblical figures, from Roman tax collectors and charioteers, to people with leprosy, fishermen, Pharisees, shepherds, John the Baptist, and Pontius Pilate. The story traces the life of the fictional main character Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman from Jerusalem whose future is... Read Ben-Hur Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism, Society: War
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Afrofuturism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Class
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Southern Literature, Race / Racism, Poverty, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Western, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
Blood Meridian, a 1985 historical fiction novel by Cormac McCarthy, is one of the most celebrated works of modern American literature. The novel was inspired by people and events of the mid-19th century in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. McCarthy’s works have won many honors including the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Blood Meridian is often considered his greatest novel. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1992 First Vintage... Read Blood Meridian Summary
Publication year 1932
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Play: Tragedy, Play: Drama, Latin American Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Blood Wedding, a Spanish rural tragedy, was written by Federico Garcia Lorca in 1932 while he was director of the travelling theater company Teatro Universitario La Barraca. The play was first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in 1933 under the title Bodas de Sangre. It ran briefly in America on Broadway in 1935, where it was retitled Bitter Oleander. It was not well received; the passions and folkloric culture in the play were too... Read Blood Wedding Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Metaphysical, Science / Nature, British Literature
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1970
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1898
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: War, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Politics / Government, Play: Drama, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1944
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Play: Drama, Existentialism, Absurdism